The world through the eyes of a child

Children are the most vulnerable to the consequences of global poverty -- but often, they don't have a platform by which to voice how these issues affect them.

When children do speak out, they often aren't taken seriously. Sometimes, they're dismissed by the adults who are charged with caring for them.

To address this problem, World Vision created a child journalist summit in India to give children the opportunity to have their voices heard.

The summit brought together 100 children from all over India. Over a six-month period, they would periodically gather to discuss the issues they face -- and learn how to tell their stories to others.

These children were asked what they wanted to share -- for many of them, it was the first time they'd had such an opportunity -- and they were listened to.

They were given the chance to tell their stories openly and honestly.

As children talked through the issues that they face, they connected with others who shared similar experiences. They began to see patterns and were able to determine which challenges deserved the most attention.

From there, children received training in film production. They developed storylines, wrote scripts, broke down each scene, developed shot lists, and learned to handle movie cameras to shoot their films.

The stories were fictional -- but they were all inspired by the real-life experiences of the children who wrote them.

A total of 14 short films were created and are being shown to journalists, government representatives, and nonprofit organizations as a catalyst for conversations throughout India.

Below are two examples of videos created by students that were broadcasted on the CNN channel in India. Thanks to the child journalist summit, children's thoughts, fears, hopes, concerns, and voices are being heard.

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Want to be a part of World Vision's efforts to educate and empower children living in poverty?

Give monthly to provide support children in crisis. Your monthly contribution will help World Vision come alongside children who have been affected by tragedies like abuse, neglect, abandonment, exploitation, forced labor, and other conditions that no child should have to face.

This is truly awesome! I love the work that World Vision is doing in India. Thank you so much for enabling the youth. I hope and pray that God continues to reveal himself in even more powerful ways through World Vision.